WHEN THE RIVERS GO HOME

In the style of Lewin's Tiger Trek (1990), an introduction to another exotic endangered habitat: the Pantanal, a vast swamp in central Brazil. There, when the rains abate and the waters recede, travelers can observe ``logjams of jacare'' (alligator- like caiman, whose diet is mostly fish) mingling peaceably with jabiru storks and grazing cattle. Lewin also focuses on other birds, including the rare hyacinth macaw, the capybara (``He looks like a furry little hippo''), and the people of the area, especially the vaqueros who herd the rangy white cattle. The simple text offers just enough information to put Lewin's lovely, evocative watercolors in context; he uses his supple medium to capture the essence of these creatures and their homeland as no photo could. A last scene, painted with elegant economy, depicts the rain's return—``The cattle will head for the high ground, and the birds and animals disappear into the vast tranquility of their drowned land.'' A gentle portrait that makes a convincing plea for that land's preservation. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 5- 10)